The invention concerns attachments for water-skis and particularly devices for helping a novice skier control his skis while being accelerated from rest, in a substantially submerged condition, up to planing speed and a substantially upright planing position in which the skis skim the surface of the water.
The transition, in a deep water start, from the stationary semi-submerged condition to the elevated or skiing position is frequently referred to as "getting up". During the period of acceleration the skier must exert himself to maintain the skis in position below his body and at a proper inclination so that, as his speed through the water increases, the skis will elevate and eventually surface. During start up, while the skier is being pulled by the tow boat is "plowing" through the water, there is a tendency for the forward ends of the skis to turn laterally outward drawing the legs of the skier apart so that he is rapidly put into such an awkward unbalanced condition that he capsizes. The novice skier may lack the strength and coordination to overcome the tendency for the skis to separate and find great difficulty in getting waterborne.
A number of devices have been offered to overcome this problem. A common feature of the devices is controlling the lateral spacing of a forward portion of the skis (and sometimes of a rear portion also), while, at least in some cases, permitting some relative lateral tipping and longitudinal pitching of the skis, one relative to the other. While a number of these devices may be generally functionally adequate, they have their several shortcomings. These include: undesirably high weight, cost and complexity; inclusion of hard edges and sharp corners which may injure a skier during a fall or spill; requiring modification of the skis, such as the provision of holes or bosses for mounting; and the inconvenience of mounting and dismounting the devices.